Who's Crying Now, Ex-Husband?

Ms. Stephanie let out a weary sigh.

That day, school had just let out. The children were supposed to wait in line for their parents to pick them up, but those two kids had wandered off somewhere she couldn't find them. She was searching when the news broke a student had fallen down the stairs. By the time she rushed over, panic had already seized everyone.

It was a serious incident.

As the homeroom teacher directly responsible for both students, she immediately accepted full responsibility afterward. It wasn't just about being suspended for investigation; there were also endless questions from the Pembroke and Montgomery families.

"But I really don't know anything," Ms. Stephanie said, her voice flat with exhaustion. "When I got there, it had already happened. Adrian was leaning over the edge—he nearly... I barely managed to grab him in time."

She didn't go on.

Mila closed her eyes for a moment, steadying the sudden tightness in her chest, before speaking. "Thank you for telling me all this. Thank you, Ms. Stephanie."

Ms. Stephanie said nothing.

After a pause, she spoke again. "I'm not telling you this to ask you to fix my suspension. Letting the students run around after school was my responsibility... I just really don't think Adrian would ever do something like this."

He was her student.

He'd always been a handful, but after spending so much time with him, she could see he wasn't a bad kid at heart-just too proud. Sometimes, a bit too intense.

But there were so many good things about him, too.

"I know," Mila replied softly. "But you really shouldn't have to take all the blame. I'll see what I can do."

well who was truly at

Those two troublemakers!

way to say

silence settled

boy-Julian-how is he?" After a long pause, Ms. Stephanie's voice came trembling through the

obvious she truly cared. Mila didn't hide the truth; she repeated the doctor's assessment of Julian's condition, detail by detail. "Right now, he's still under observation, but the chances of

"He'll really wake up?"

Mila said

...

into tears. "I was so scared-he was lying there bleeding, and I was

anything

around, calling her "Miss, Miss," full of life. Then

that day, nightmares had haunted her for days

slept through a single

"Ms. Stephanie..." Mila understood.

the line, listening in silence, offering quiet reassurance here and

you just had to

a long while, Ms. Stephanie finally managed, between sobs, "I'm

I lost control... Thank

all right. I know how tired you must be." Mila paused, then added, "Just call me Mila. And don't worry about

"No, don't."

again. Maybe I'm just not cut out to be a teacher." This is

wanted to say something, but Ms. Stephanie spoke first, "I just have one favor-when